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Even if you only use your computer for word processing and for Internet browsing, you might notice that it´s become sluggish in the years since you first bought it. At one time, it was fast and efficient, but these days, it seems to slow down and even stall when you try to attempt your everyday tasks. Just like the human body, computers also have troubles as they age. But that doesn´t mean you need to simply sit back and wait for your laptop to go to the computer graveyard in the sky.

Look at What You´re Storing

The biggest contributor to poor computer performance is storing too much on your hard drive. When you do this, the hard drive has more trouble accessing the programs it needs as it doesn´t have the ´room´ in which to operate multiple functions. It´s easy enough to remove excess programs and files – just go to your Documents (on a PC) folder and look for things you can either delete or save to a flash drive or CD-Rom. This way, you can begin to clean away the things you don´t really need every day. Then, you might want to look for the Disk Cleanup feature in your laptop´s Control Panel. This will help to remove any excessive programs or files as well. You might think of this as ´dust´ that has accumulated as you´ve used your computer over the years. Your computer can run this program in a few minutes and allow your computer a chance to breathe.

Rearrange Your Hard Drive

After you have cleaned up the excessive files in your laptop, it´s time to rearrange what´s left in order to make the programs run more efficiently. This is called ´defragmenting´ your hard drive. What you´re doing is moving files that have been placed elsewhere and putting them into places where the computer can access them more quickly – speeding up your laptop´s performance. Again, this function should be found in your computer´s Control Panel menu and it will run without any input from you.

Preventing Sluggishness

Another possible contributor to the slow performance of your laptop is the presence of spyware and of viruses. Ideally, you should have virus protection software already installed and working on your laptop, running frequent scans and updates. In addition to this, you will want to find a spyware detection and removal program as well. These are found free on the Internet to use, or you can purchase a specific program as well. Running this program will ensure you aren´t being bogged down by software that is running without your permission. In addition, it´s also helpful to find a registry cleaner which will help to remove any extraneous files that may have been left by an old computer program or by viruses or spyware. Again, this simply checks your hard drive for files that don´t belong – and removes them. Your laptop is just like your car – the better care you take of it, the better it will run. Though superior performance might not be necessary for basic laptop functions, following these tips will help to keep your laptop up and running for as long a time as possible – and without the need for a computer tune-up from a professional.